I’ve own my i8 since Sep 2015, now 13.5k miles.

It’s been reliable except for the annoying “Check Engine” light which in my case was gas getting into the engine oil. It has happened 5-6 times already, like every 6 months.

Dealer has no permanent solution and only suggest I drive more, longer distances so engine gets warm 😂 but I cannot just keep making unnecessary trips right? I’ve asked to escalate this to BMW engineering but no solution as well.

They do offer free oil changes to me as long as I own this car so that’s good. My car will have new oil often, lol.

I also purchased a 7-year platinum extended warranty before manufacturers warranty expired for only $4k so I’m keeping this car for good.

Another complaint is the tire life is too short imo, only 5-6k miles so I’m only my 3 set even though I don’t drive much. The OEM Michelin tire is very soft so I just switch to Pireillis.

The permanent engineering solution has been offered

By: cazalea : April 1st, 2020-07:01

Run the engine longer so it gets warm enough to evaporate unburned fuel that washes down the cylinder walls. BMW knows this issue well, having suffered great expense in their V8s forcing them to replace many engines.

Those are not unnecessary trips - they are necessary to the life of the car, like exercise is for a person. Nothing so damages a typical car as lack of use. While many cars (especially yours) are art objects, they are primarily machines. If it could speak, it would thank you for spending an hour or two a month on a nice drive.

True story - one of the sales reps for my previous employer had to go into New York City once or twice a month. He disliked the congestion and cost of parking, but he was carrying inventory and couldn’t avoid driving. He ended up leaving his truck at a Quickie Lube place, having the oil changed, while he visited customers nearby.

After 6 months of this, the shop manager said “Hey buddy, we’ve changed your oil 20 times so far this year! That’s crazy!”

Our rep said, “Yeah I know, but with your ‘preferred customer’ coupon it’s cheaper to get the oil change than it is to pay for parking my truck!”

That’s very good to know...

By: Clueless_Collector : April 1st, 2020-07:34

I thought I did by driving to downtown Portland which is about 20-30 miles each way for dining or shopping every 2 weeks,Ok, I’ll go further next time since there’s nothing to shop or dine for the time being.Thanks Mike!

Have fun! Take some pics! [nt]

Good to know! So yours is a 2016 model.

By: patrick_y : April 1st, 2020-11:19

You must have a lot of stop and go trips for such frequent tire replacement. Furthermore, Michelin's PS4 and AS3+ have mileage warranties, I don't know about Pirellis. I hope you're not changing the tires at the dealership. Go to Americas Tire, have them teach you how to measure the tread depth. Ask them to give you the little tool and show you how to read it. Once tread depth hits 3/32 of an inch, change immediately; at 4/32 of an inch start looking for tire deals; in USA 2/32 of an inch is legally required; in a wet region like yours, I'd change around 3/32 of an inch. Dealership advises change way too often for their own profits.

Good to know! So yours is a 2016 model.

By: patrick_y : April 1st, 2020-11:19

You must have a lot of stop and go trips for such frequent tire replacement. Furthermore, Michelin's PS4 and AS3+ have mileage warranties, I don't know about Pirellis. I hope you're not changing the tires at the dealership. Go to Americas Tire, have them teach you how to measure the tread depth. Ask them to give you the little tool and show you how to read it. Once tread depth hits 3/32 of an inch, change immediately; at 4/32 of an inch start looking for tire deals; in USA 2/32 of an inch is legally required; in a wet region like yours, I'd change around 3/32 of an inch. Dealership advises change way too often for their own profits.

It's the Lange of autos

By: Tim_M : March 16th, 2020-18:16

German made, impressively sophisticated, curiously underrated, and a slammin' pre-owned buy. It was already a buyer's market for these, and I suspect even better opportunities will emerge shortly. I might even buy one down the road.

This car deserves its special place in history as one of the early "green" cars that appealed to traditional driving enthusiasts. Like the original Tesla Model S, the i8 was a good-faith effort to show that alternative propulsion (I offer no opinion on its "sustainability") could be engaging, exciting, and desirable. It should be remembered well.

Found these photos today of 2CV, i8 and Gerber P10

It’s never been successful

By: Jurry : March 30th, 2020-04:10

Although I personally like the futuristic styling, and it’s hybrid technology, it’s never been a success, out here if you bought a house form certain developer, you would even get one for free with the house